I hope you'll go back through later, with fresh eyes, and pick up some of the areas that could use with smoothing out because this is a dang good review! You did a nice job of addressing the flaws in the game--bringing back for me the humorous memory of my fighter taking a few steps forward and swinging his sword at nothing as powerful enemies that remained that could very likely take him out the next round--and you also did well to point to the remakes that eliminate the very issues that still render the original game a more challenging play. Final Fantasy Origins on the PlayStation is probably the best way to play the game now, since you can select a tougher difficulty level while still keeping some of the most welcome improvements. I never played the GBA version, and I can't remember what settings the PSP version had (I could look, since I still own it, but I'm lazy). Anyway, this was great stuff.

"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." - John F. Kennedy on reality

"What if everything you see is more than what you see--the person next to you is a warrior and the space that appears empty is a secret door to another world? What if something appears that shouldn't? You either dismiss it, or you accept that there is much more to the world than you think. Perhaps it really is a doorway, and if you choose to go inside, you'll find many unexpected things." - Shigeru Miyamoto on secret doors to another world

Thanks, Jason! I fixed some of the errors in the review, but I'm not sure I got them all.

Dawn of Souls is actually fun. I was pretty amazed at how a game that feels "dumbed down" can still be a lot of fun. I think the hidden boss battles (like fighting the four fiends from FFIV) helped quite a bit.

Neat review. Really like the thread here. It might work even better if you headed it off with a bit more detached descriptions in the intro. I honestly think the embarrassing details are great - but if you want to tie it to the twist in the review, then maybe opening it with.. I don't know.. a "Once Upon a Time" might work out to set the context in the first paragraph. Since it might only take shape when you explain the nostalgia bit halfway.

This is the money-shot, imo :)
"Going back and replaying the NES version of Final Fantasy taught me what the painful part of “nostalgia” meant: that sometimes looking back with new eyes spoils what used to be a great thing. Somehow, Final Fantasy didn't age well."

..suppose it could be "Sometimes looking back... finally learned the painful part of N. when going back to replay...". To avoid "Final Fantasy taught me". But.. tastes, I guess.

And you missed a really, really good opportunity to use a semicolon! :D lol

Great job, though. Difficult, difficult review to pull off.

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Great review that really sums up my feelings about the game (from "extended virginity" *sob* through not so great anymore).

Question about Dawn of Souls? Does that game also make FF2 easier to get into? I tried playing it once and it was just annoying. Every time I felt like I'd gotten my party in good form, I suddenly found things grinding to a halt because I had to wait through battles until the crap character upgrade SAGAFAIL system churned out HP and other bonuses.

I'd actually consider giving it another shot down the road (as for FF1), but I don't think I can bear to play actual NES/Famicom versions of either ever again.